Drafting Digest: Foiled Again!

Hi! For those who don't know me, I'm Ryan Saxe, a competitive player in the New York City scene. I have been writing for StarCityGames.com® for a couple of months now and will be taking over Draft Digest for 2017 as your new Limited guru! For reference, my favorite Limited format is Innistrad, and I have a passion for every build-around-me card I can find, such as Rise from the Tides and Spider Spawning.

Enough of the small talk. Let's get to the first Draft Digest of the New Year!

Pack 1, Pick 1

What a nice surprise! A foil Dovin Baan and normal Dovin Baan, that's quite a sight. And the pack itself is pretty good with two premium uncommons.

That being said, I have not particularly been impressed with the Azorius planeswalker. Some people really love the card, but more often than not, it doesn't do enough. Don't get me wrong; Dovin Baan is not a bad magic card and will be decent in any W/U deck, but the fact that Dovin Baan is two colors is a hefty commitment. I don't like first-picking gold cards unless the card is absurdly powerful.

Looking through the rest of the pack, I think Skywhaler's Shot is the pick. Instant-speed removal is at a premium with the slew of Vehicles in Kaladesh, and Skywhaler's Shot is one of the most efficient options. The Restoration Gearsmith should still be noted here, as it's quite powerful and has impressed me, but as a gold card, still does not compete with the mono-colored removal spell.

Pack 1, Pick 4

Our direction isn't entirely clear at the moment. We have a Prophetic Prism, which would help a splash, and the Shrewd Negotiation makes me want to play a deck with a high artifact count. It also is not irrelevant that we passed two copies of Dovin Ban, so U/W might not be open in Pack 2.

The two cards that jump out here are Dukhara Peafowl and Contraband Kingpin. Ovalchase Dragster also is fine, but given our first couple of picks, it doesn't synergize well. Dukhara Peafowl is the safe pick…but not where I would go with this. I have found Kaladesh to have a high density of playables, and the Peafowl is replaceable.

Contraband Kingpin, on the other hand, is pretty good. The lifelink and body really help against aggro, and it has the highest potential, given the cards we have in our pool so far. Even though Contraband Kingpin has a risk of not making the deck due to being two colors, I think the upside is worth more than a Dukhara Peafowl.

About Ryan Saxe

Ryan has been playing Magic for over ten years and is an avid limited player in New York City's competitive scene. Known for his analytical approach to the game, Ryan prides himself in his efficacy for problem solving. Every set bears an onslaught of new puzzles, and taking these head on is what he does best.